WK4

- Start with a recap of last week

Pressure is something we all have to deal with in our life. Joseph is someone who was able to handle a lot of pressure in his life from when he was a teenager. There was a bigger reason he lived and behaved the way he did: he was doing it for God. Often when we face difficult situations or pressures, if we choose to do right, even though no one may acknowledge it, we can be confident that it will work out in the end because God is with us and he will vindicate us (i.e. he rewards those who do good, and will punish those who do wrong). Let’s read below how Joseph handles some more pressure in his life.

Genesis 39:6-20

Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, and Potiphar’s wife soon began to look at him lustfully. “Come and sleep with me,” she demanded. But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.” She kept putting pressure on Joseph day after day, but he refused to sleep with her, and he kept out of her way as much as possible. One day, however, no one else was around when he went in to do his work. She came and grabbed him by his cloak, demanding, “Come on, sleep with me!” Joseph tore himself away, but he left his cloak in her hand as he ran from the house.

When she saw that she was holding his cloak and he had fled, she called out to her servants. Soon all the men came running. “Look!” she said. “My husband has brought this Hebrew slave here to make fools of us! He came into my room to rape me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream, he ran outside and got away, but he left his cloak behind with me.” She kept the cloak with her until her husband came home. Then she told him her story. “That Hebrew slave you’ve brought into our house tried to come in and fool around with me,” she said. “But when I screamed, he ran outside, leaving his cloak with me!” Potiphar was furious when he heard his wife’s story about how Joseph had treated her. So he took Joseph and threw him into the prison where the king’s prisoners were held, and there he remained.

Discussion

1. From reading this week's passage, how do you think Joseph responds to pressure?

2. Pressure comes in many forms and from different people. To be able to not give in to pressure in our lives it often helps to know who you are and what you stand for. Why do you think this is true?

3. Have you ever thought about what kind of a person you want to be?

4. How do you think living for God helped Joseph remain strong when surrounded by pressure?

5. When you’re at school or with friends or family, do you think it will be easier to do what’s right, knowing God will reward you for it?